Las Vegas - Star Trek The Experience
By Gareth
Von Kallenbach
More Star Trek: Star Trek 2009 Preview
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Star Trek The Experience
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With the 40th Anniversary of Star Trek on the horizon, fans can rejoice and become part of the experience thanks to the Star Trek Experience attraction at the Las Vegas Hilton.
The numerous memorabilia on display in the outer lobby alone is worth the visit as props and other memorabilia from the various Star Trek incarnations are displayed along with detailed timeline outlying events from the Federation.
One
of my favorites was the Mark V Photon torpedo, as it is not every day
that a person can say they were able to touch such a fabled piece of Trek history.
As vast as the array of memorabilia is, it is mere icing on the cake, as the true draw of the Star Trek Experience are the two interactive shows / rides, "The Klingon Encounter" and "Borg Invasion 4D".
After
a brief wait for a wedding party to finish their ceremony, the group I
was in was ushered into a room to attend a briefing by a Starfleet
Officer.
After a while, the Doctor from Voyager (Robert Picardo), appears on screen and informs us that we hold the key to resisting Borg assimilation within our DNA.
No
sooner does the Doctor utter this news, than a Borg cube appears on the
long range scanner and initiates a fire fight with the station.
The floors vibrate and the station hums with energy as its shields absorb incoming fire and then unleashes return fire.
This
is not only thrilling but thanks to the detailed display information,
it gives guests the sensation of being in a firefight.
Crew
Members appear and tell us that the station is being boarded and we are
whisked through damaged decks of the station while we avoid live Borg
Drones who battle crew members desperate to get us to safety aboard a
shuttle.
Upon boarding the shuttle, the true experience takes
flight as we are then drawn into the Borg Cube and confronted by the
evil Borg Queen (played by Alice Krige).
The incredible 3D
technology puts you in the heart of the action as you will encounter
everything from gripping action sequences, to the viewpoint of a Borg.
The
4D technology allows for external stimuli to complete and enhance the
effect as everything from air currents to motion is included to
complete the effect.
There are a few surprise moments and guests that appear, but I will refrain from spoiling them all for my dear readers.
As
the ride concludes, guests have a chance to purchase souvenirs in the
very impressive guest shop and then grab a bite to eat or a drink at
Quarks Bar, a very accurate replica of the Bar in Deep Space 9. The food and drinks were amazing as was the service, and all of the entries have Trek names such as the Phaser Blast drink.
After
Dinner, it was back into the show as we boarded "The Klingon Encounter"
for one of the wildest rides I have ever encountered.
From the
amazing transportation sequence, to the frantic motion ride that had us
racing from Klingons and in a mad dash over the Strip, this ride was
every bit as enjoyable as the Borg Invasion, though a much wilder ride
as the emphasis is on motion rather than visuals.
Needless to
say, I had an amazing time at the attractions and was impressed by the
detail that was put into the shows, as this is as close to being in an
episode as a fan can get. The rides also offer plenty of enjoyable
moments to casual fans of the series, as
I brought along, what can only be described as, more "casual Star Trek fans" - yet they had a blast.
My
wife enjoyed the rides so much, that she made a point of telling all of
her family and co-workers how much fun she had and how much she wants
to return.
Even more exciting is the notion that the show also
keeps expanding, with a new backstage tour coming soon that shows many
of the attractions secrets such as how the Transportation sequence
works, and much more.
In a town known for its entertainment and shows, Star Trek the Experience is a must for visitors.
For more information visit www.startrekexp.com or call 1-888-GO-BOLDLY.
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